Paradise Fish

[Amy86]

I'm trying to research potential fish for my tank once it has cycled and have been reading up about the paradise fish. There are so many conflicting stories about temperament, i dunno what to believe!!! does anybody have 1st hand experience with these as community fish?? some sites suggest species only tanks, some say communities are fine !!

 

[Avinitlarge]

I had 3, the 2 bigger ones were nasty and killed a few of our fish, I gave then to a friend with a cichlid tank, They seem to be doing alot better there

 

[GUB]

I was recommended a pair of these by a LFS, who specifically said they would not be aggressive towards the other fish in my tank. This proved to be utter rubbish, after about 1 week they set about beating up some other gourami and some rams. An absolutely beautiful fish (especially when it colours up) but I had to take them back.

It was this purchase that made me really take time out to research any potential new tank addition, rather than rely on the LFS advice. Unfortunately there seem to be some unscrupulous LFS personnel who just want to shift stock rather than offer accurate and useful advice. Thankfully this forum is a useful hive of actual experience!

 

[fuzz16]

paradise fish are like bettas or gouramis and should none of the three should be put together. even guppies with large colorful tails can get torn apart or killed.
paradise fish are a gamble. depending on what you want depends on how he will act. just get one. if his authority feels as though someone is trying to show him up, so to speak, then he will attack them and maybe kill them. it helps to have a lot of plants or fake plants to break fish contacts and help determine territories

if i were you i would look into a dwarf gourami.

 

[Amy86]

i was thinking of getting a dwarf gourami as well but all the discussion about the diseases they get have made me think twice

so looks like paradise fish are not really suited to a peaceful community tank

 

[mommyof2bettas]

nope, in my lfs they are sold in cups like bettas because they are as aggressive, infact maybe even more aggressive than bettas. I'd say get some livebearers, they come in a wide variety of colors, are easy to keep, and it's fun raising the fry! If not, you could getsome corys or otos, these seem to be the best choice for community tanks because they don't bother anyone, but if you choose otos, make sure to introduce them a couple of months after the tank is cycled as they are delicate. And if you chose corys, make sure you buy about 3 or 4,even more if you like, as they are shoaling fish.

 

[rob newland]

paradise fish are like bettas or gouramis and should none of the three should be put together. even guppies with large colorful tails can get torn apart or killed.
paradise fish are a gamble. depending on what you want depends on how he will act. just get one. if his authority feels as though someone is trying to show him up, so to speak, then he will attack them and maybe kill them. it helps to have a lot of plants or fake plants to break fish contacts and help determine territories

if i were you i would look into a dwarf gourami.

I can't agree with you there.
I had one paradise fish which was fine on its own, i got another couple to go with it and they all went psycho. I ended up taking all of them back.
Rob

 

[catxx]

i'm currently nursing back to health a betta that was put in a paradise fish tank in the fish store, this was the result:

paradise fish = vicious buggers

 

[caboose_122]

i guess i got a lucky one mines a pansy, he is afraid or my keyhole lol

 

[demonmagus]

when I asked for advice I was told that one by itself will be fine, they can be kept in warmer water but this makes them more aggressive because they want to breed.

 

[Gatorbait]

when I asked for advice I was told that one by itself will be fine, they can be kept in warmer water but this makes them more aggressive because they want to breed.

Warmer water makes cichlids more aggressive because it raises their metabolism. I guess it can be partly attributed to them wanting to breed but they'll want to breed more often when you do a water change and bring the water temp down.

 

[sylvia]

I personaly feel they are best kept either singly (particularly males) or in species tanks with one male and several females or just a group of females. Having said that, groups of females can be kept woth larger community fish like larger rainbowfish and medium-sized loaches and catfish as long as their tankmates are non-nippy. As people have said here, they are a lot like bettas in many ways and can be kept like a betta - but in a larger tank (I'd say 15 gallons or more for a single male).

 

[cjc75]

I currently have 3 Blue Paradise Gourami; sharing the same tank with a Betta...

Neither have killed the other yet... the Betta ignores them, and they ignore the Betta... until its feeding time of course then the Betta will get picky and try to chase them away from the food it wants. Otherwise, they're all pretty docile.

Now; if I were to add in say, an Angel Fish... that then Betta will go nuts and peck the hell outa the Angel; I seen it happen and ended up with a dead $10 Angel as a result...

There is also a pair of Leporinus Fascitus in the tank with them; one of them a 4" and the other a 6" - 7" ... there is also a pair of Rope Fish; and a pair of 2" Pleco's.

The most aggression that I have seen; is from the larger Leporinus; whose a bit picky about "his territory" in a nice dark corner under some artificial wood.

So sure; if your tank is decorated well enough then you can keep a Paradise Gourami together with a Betta; cause they'll both have their own "safe place" if they feel they want to hide from each other... but in truth, I've watched mine actually hanging out in the same spot without problems; eventually one, or the other will just swim away and go somewhere else.

Wikipedia also states that Paradise Gourami can safely be kept with other similarly aggressiive fish, so long as there are others of their same breed to keep them company. so I have 3 of them... I have considered adding in a fouth but I suspect that anymore and my Betta might start to feel a bit more agitated and outnumbered... so for now I'm satisfied with the delicate balance I've created.

 

[cjc75]

In addition to my above post, here's a few pictures of them all; though I had to make them into Clickie Links cause this board wouldn't allow me to use the IMG tags on these urls.


One of my Blue Paradise Gourami enjoying a casual Sunday Swim with my two Rope Fish
CLICKIE HERE!

Two of my Blue Paradise Gourami, just hanging out... they're waiting for feeding time!
CLICKIE HERE!

My Betta; he hangs out around the middle of the tank, often swims around the top... he looks a little "weathered" as a result of him recently murdering my last Angel
CLICKIE HERE!

My two Leporinus Fascitus..
CLICKIE HERE!


They're all together sharing the same tank, and everyone is getting along!